I would never, ever call the Significant One “cheap” but he is very cautious about where his money goes. 

This is the man who has been known to balk at a $12 buzz cut (his preferred coiffure) but when I was explaining the Tight Cuts concept to him, he perked up a bit. (I think the words “leather,” and “hot chicks” might have had something to do with it.)

He still was a bit unsure about the cost: “28 bucks?” he wondered, with that skeptical little scowl he gets.

So I went in on the Tacoma store opening Friday, and watched a steady stream of clients mosey on up to the chairs, perhaps with a bit of curiosity on their faces.

Resting their eyes on Michelle Machale and Marian Johnson, stylists on duty, the curiosity turned to appreciation; as they left that appreciation seemed to have morphed into respect.

The guys I saw walk out of there not only got good hair, but they got a hot towel face wrap while their scalps (and necks and shoulders) enjoyed a bit of massage and excellent product loving (Tight Cuts uses Crew products, mmm, nice).

As for the Significant One, he was initially put right to comfort by the atmosphere.  (“It’s like where we stay at Vegas,” he explained, likening the atmosphere to The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, where he goes to hang with friends to recharge every now and again.) He also seemed to appreciate the fact that when he said what he needed â€" not a guard, but a regular clipper â€" they “got it” and gave him a great cut with Marian, as per his expectations.  His expectations were exceededâ€"as proposed by CEO Dominic Casey â€" by the personal-basin wash, and more, more, more.  In this salon, each high-end chair gets a basin, and each cut gets a massage; each service gets a tech who cares.

And much as the Significant One hated to admit how much he liked the end result â€" and, in fact, the whole experienceâ€"my suspicion is, the Tight Cuts folks just got a client for life. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler